X w worth



Nov. 6, 1923. l Re.. 15,718

v G. .B. WADSWORTH SAFETY BOX FOR ELECTRIC INSTALLATION vOriginal Filed Aug. 11 1916 gra Z0 18 Z/I: 1 ST1-] I gai- 1 215, 3, z

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Ileissued Nov. 6, 1923.

Re. lana UNITED. s .TA'ras PATENT oFFlcE.

GEORGE B. WAnswoR'rH', or cov11- re'1o1\i,l KENTUCKY, assreNon, BY DIRECT ANU MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, :T O THE WADSWORTH ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COM- PANY, F COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATIQN OF KENTUQKY.

SAFETY BOX EUR ELECTRIC'INSTALLATION'.

original m. 1,403,659, dated ganuary 17,1922, serial No. 114,325, ned August 1151916. Application v Y for reissue filed September 26, 1923. `Serial No.` 665,029,

To llwkom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. vWans- =WoRTH,a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Covington.d in the 6 county of Kenton and State of Kentucky,

have invented certain new and useful 1in-- provements in Safety Boxes for Electric In-l whereby access to the fuses is prevented' until the switch'is opened t cut off the current from the fuse connections. It is also the object to provide in such a box for means for exposing the,fuse connection for replacement of the fuse Without access to the switch or other terminals, whereby it shall beimossible v.without permanently injuring or destroying the box to insert electrical connections to pass the current around the electric meter andthus to use current without -any registration on the meter. Thus it is my object-to prevent stealing of current .by the consumer of electricity while at the same time giving him full access to the fuses for changing or" removing them. I also desire .to provide for means for locking 4the switch in such boxes in open position to prevent all use of current.

Safety boxes in which the cut-'out switch 40 is arrangedto prevent access -to the `fuse without openingA the switch have been ldevised, but in such devices there has heretofore been no provision made to allow for access to the fuses without also exppsin the terminals of the switch, The result o use of such boxes isv that whenever it is" desired to change thefuses', the box must be opened 'from headquarters, which is a great'annoyance.

so It is an exception to the rule that fuses must be set into theY service lines or mains before the local switch, where the switch is encased in a closed compartment independent of the fuses. This'is because there is no chance of any object falling across the terminals o f the 'switch and causing a burning. Thus 1t is my object to set the switch into the service line ahead of the.. fuses and elle.l

close theswitch in a separated casing, thereby allowing the fuses, when they are accessible, tobe dlsconnected from the service line,

.by the opening of the switch. l, These various objects I vaccomplish byv at certain construction and arrangement o 4 parts to Ibe hereinafter -more .specifically pointed out and Aclaimed,

In the drawing:

',Figure 1 is a frontelev-ation of thesafety box, .broken away so as to reveal one of the fusesf 1 v Figure 2r is a like viewv of the box with the lid removed.

Figure 3 is a cross section' of the box taken,

on the line` 3-3, of Figure l. p

.Figure 4 is a longitudinal section thereof, taken on the line 4, 4, of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the tightly to a revoluble post 8a that extendsl out through the compartment and outside of the box.

The box has a lid 9 likewise of metal, and extendinup from the lugsj4, 4', are screws forming plate 5. On t ese screws are set sleeves or other spacer members 10a, andthe screws extend up through the lid of the box. The lid is sealed down in any acceptable Inanner, and holds down the compartment plate by means lof the spacer sleeves.

ch pass throu h the compartment Strips 11, 11, are mounted on the under side ot the lid, and are beveled toform a `elovetailed "shutter 12 has two openings 12a 'are adapted to register with openings 13, 13,

' position, the openings in the als , that when the i ed on the gnideway for a shutter. This in it, which in the lid. Thus whenthe shutter is in one lid will lbe closed, and said openings willbe opened 'by sliding the shutter to another position.

The device shown is for a two-wire service,

but, of course, the modilication of the deviceto accommodate three, or four wires, or more, would not involve a departure from the invention therein.

Mounted on the compartment plate 5, one beneath each opening fuses 14, 14, mounted in clipsv 15. Each fuse .has a compartment formed around it by' means of cross walls 16 and 17, whereby should a fuse be lifted out of its socket, and dropped by accident, it will not roll to an inaccessible position. The lid, it will be remembered, is'to be sealed in place, and .fuses mi ht be 10st in the above manner.

he revoluble post which carries the switch knife or closer, has mounted fxedly on it, in the space above the switch compartment and beneath the lid of the box, an arm 18 which has a slotted end 19. On the base of the sliding shutter is a roller or knob 20 which engages in the slot of the end 19, so post is revolved to close or open the switch, the shut-ter is moved at the same time.' K

On the outside of the box, there is mountpost a handle 21 by which the post is revolved, and'this handle has an' indicator arrow 22 thereon. The words Off and On`are printed on the lid, to indicate to the operator that when the handle is in one position the switch is open, and in another that it is closed.

en the switch is open, the parts are arranged so that the shutter is open. However, the access to-the fuses through the lid openings does not expose the switch points in an way, so that current can be stolen. Not on y this, but the wiring is such that the fuses are dead when the switch is open.

As shown in the diagram, the service wires a, a, pass rst to the switch, thence they pass to the fuses at 6, b, current passes by the wires c, c to the meter d. The object being to prevent the shunt` ing of current around the meter, it is evident that with proper conduits from the service wires 'to the box, an

no opportunity for the fraudulent user to shuntV out the meter. l

In the above safety box there is easy ac Cessibility to the fuses, however, and the only possible way of stealing current, i. e'., shunting out the meter, wouldbe to'brealr the box, or get wires from the fuses out in the lid, are the,

v side thereo and 'from the fuses thed from the Vfuses in the l b oX to the meter, there will be Athe inside of Tov prevent the latter Way of stealing, the closed spaces of the shutter; must be so proportioned that they will close up the fuse openings in the lid through the shutter.

before the switch points make even a partial with the slot 24 in a lug 25 on' the box, when the switch is open. f hus a padlock may be used to lock open the switch, padlockY or other locking means may be sealed in the usual manner.

It seems clear that any electric installation, such as toa motor, a heater or the like, would be an advantageous use for my invention, as use with a meter to prevent stealing current is but one use. As a safety device for cutting off current from yfuses to preventthe accidental shock to an operator in removing fuses forreplaclement it is very valuable.

I do notwish to be limited in my claims that follow to any specific means of assembling th'e various lements of my new safety box, because of a failure to mention equivalent structures in the above On the contrary, I wishit understood that the above drawing and s pecication are de` scriptive of merely the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Having thus described my inventiomwhat claim as new and desire to secure by Let# ters Patent, is:--y i 1. vIn a switch box, two separated compartments, a switch in one, a fuse in the other, a lidl for thebox, a hole in the lid giving access to the fuse chamber, an externally operated shaft in the box having means thereon for operating the switch, a shutter moving in the same pt ane as the lid and on the under l to control'the blockingr and un-` .hlocking of said hole, and means on the shutter cooperating with the shaft as distinluished from the svwitch, whereby'the shaft will enforeclosure o-f it when the switch is closed. f 2. In a. switch box, mutually inaccessible` switch and fusecompartments, a switch and a. fuse in `its respective compartment, a rotatable operating member for the switch, said box having an opening for access to the fuse'compartment, a shutter moving in the plane of the box about said hole, located on the' box and adapted to block and unblock saidY hole, said shutter Vbeing` free of direct connection to the switch, and means on" the operating member andthe shutter to enforcev a closed vposition of the shutter in all closed positions of the switch.

which same swltch and fuse compartments, aswtch and a fuse in its respective Compartment, a rotatable operating member for the switch, 5 said box. having an 'opening for access to the fuse compartment, a 'shutter moving in the plane of the box about saidh'ol and close- 3. In a switch4 box, mutually inaccessible unblock lsaid hole,

1y adjacent thereto and adapted to block and said shutter being free vof direct connection to the switch, and means on the operating member and the shutter to enforce a closed .position of GEORGE B. WADSWORTH.

l the Shutter in l.all closed posltons of 'the switch. 

